Farmers Weekly Review

Gen. Phil Sheridan (left) and Illinois Gov. John Palmer who were both too drunk to give a speech at the celebration of the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

By Sandy Vasko

We are in the final week of celebrating the 175^th anniversary of the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. However, looking back at that opening, we find that things were not exactly perfect engineering-wise.

From day one, there was a lack of water, and many times, canal boats went aground. It was a while before that problem was fixed. Still, certainly a cause for celebration. That is our story for today.

The original I & M Canal had been built on the cheap. Instead of digging it deep enough for Lake Michigan water to naturally run into it, it was cut shallow and required a steam engine on the shores of Lake Michigan to pump water into it, and a lock and dam to be sure the I & M did not run backwards into the lake.

In 1870, the money was found to deepen the canal from Bridgeport on the shores of Lake Michigan, to Lockport. When the work was completed, a grand celebration and excursion was gotten up. The auspicious day was documented by the Joliet Signal on August 1, 1871:

“For weeks the Board of Public Works of the vast city of Chicago, assisted by the canal authorities, had been making preparations to celebrate, in an appropriate manner, the completion of the deep cut in the canal and the union of the waters of Lake Michigan with those of the Illinois River. Last Tuesday was the day set apart for the grand demonstration. It was to consist of an excursion on the canal to Lockport, where the speeches were to be made and congratulations exchanged.

“Four large canal boats were chartered for the occasion and were soon crowded with about 1,600 persons, including millionaires and solid men from Chicago, the Board of Public Works, the canal commissioners, Gov. Palmer, Gen Sheridan, members of Congress and ex-members of Congress, members of the State Legislature, Ward politicians and a goodly number of the roughs and bummers of that famous city. The boats were abundantly supplied with the solids and liquids for the comforting of the inner man. At 9 a.m., the fleet set sail, and a happy time was there on board the crafts for the next 8 hours.

“There was so much drinking and carousing on the boats, that but slow progress could be made, and it was about 5 o’clock p.m. when the happy crowd reached Lemont. A reconnaissance then took place amongst the sober ones, and it was decided that Lockport could not be reached in time for the return six o’clock train, so a halt was sounded and the excursion came to an end; and the exhilarated parties took literal possession of Lemont until the arrival of the train at half past six, when they returned, drunker, if not wiser, than when they embarked in the morning.

“In the meantime, the citizens of our neighboring city of Lockport had been making grand and extensive preparations for the reception of their distinguished visitors. When we arrived there, at about 4 p.m., the streets were filled with people, and flags were fling from all the notable buildings in the place. Everything here marks of an old fashioned Fourth of July celebration. The canal office was the principal point of attraction, where were assembled the celebrities of the city, and on the west side of which were long ranges of tables spread with pure white linen and loaded with luxuries and substantials to feed a thousand hungry people.

“After waiting until nearly 6 o’clock, the news arrived that the Chicago excursion had culminated at Lemont. The disappointment manifested on all sides was great, but about this time his Excellency, Gov. Palmer, Gen. Sheridan, Mayor Mason, Hon. N.B. Judd, Hon. S. S. Hayes, and a half dozen of other celebrities, who had left the excursionists for the purpose, arrived in a little steamer, and it was determined to ‘go on with the show.’

“Gov. Palmer was led to a platform in front of the canal office, and introduced to the crowd, but was evidently too much affected by the excursion to make much of a speech. He was full to the brim. He however managed to say many clever and funny things.

“Gen. Sheridan was then introduced, who ‘let the cat out of the bag.’ He said he had ‘started from Chicago on a canal boat on which an immense quantity of beer, which the excursionists were making great efforts to consume, in which effort he co-operated, liberally and to the best of his ability. When about half way to Lockport, they were overtaken by the Governor’s boat, and found that as the Governor came from that part of the country where beer is not known, and where water was scarce, the nature of the supplies changed (to whiskey), but nevertheless, he had co-operated with the occupants of the Governor’s boat the balance of the way to Lockport, and they would have to excuse him from making a speech.

“At the conclusion of the speechifying, the multitude present were politely invited to partake of the collation that had been prepared for the ‘big bugs’ of Chicago; and, in company with a large number of our Joliet friends, we accepted the invitation, and had the pleasure of ‘co-operating’ in that branch of the exercises, and did ample justice to the good things spread before us so profusely.”

And so, that grand celebration went astray, all because of the “wants of the inner man.”